Caring for someone who has a sensory impairment can be an incredibly varied role. When someone starts to develop a sensory impairment such as hearing or sight loss, it can affect their ability to complete daily tasks independently and communicate with others. As a carer, you may be involved in supporting them to complete daily tasks as independently as possible, and manage the emotional challenges that can arise too. This article offers an introduction to caring for someone with a sensory impairment including the tools and support available to help.
What is sensory impairment?
In order to understand the world around us, we rely on our sense; sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell to obtain and process sensory information. For example, we can hear when someone is talking to us, or feel if our bath water is warm enough; we can see the colour of the carpet, and are able to determine the height of a doorstep to enter a room safely. When someone has a sensory impairment, one or more of their senses does not function fully, or at all.
Some people might be born with a sensory impairment, whilst others can develop this over time. There are also different levels of sensory impairment, from a mild lack of functioning to complete loss of a particular sense. For example, hearing loss might range from struggling to hear specific sounds or frequencies, to being completely deaf and unable to hear any sound at all. The impact of living with a sensory impairment will therefore vary from person to person.
Some individuals experience both hearing and sight loss which is also known as ‘dual sensory impairment’, ‘multi sensory impairment’ or ‘deafblindness’. Our article on caring for someone who is deafblind goes into more depth on this.
A sensory impairment can have a significant affect people living with dementia, as their cognitive difficulties can be made worse due to certain sensory issues, like a lack of taste, or hallucinating smells that can’t be perceived by others. You can find out more about supporting someone with dementia in our library of resources which you can find here.
Getting a diagnosis for someone with a sensory impairment
Before someone receives a diagnosis, you might notice that there are some signs that someone might be dealing with a sensory impairment. This will vary for every individual depending on the type and level of impairment but might include
- Turning up the volume on the radio or the TV so it is louder than usual.
- Having difficulties following a conversation.
- Struggling to hear certain noises, like the doorbell or the ping of the microwave.
- Having to hold their newspaper very close to their face, are squinting in order to read well.
- Sitting closer to the TV than they used to.
- Having more difficulty moving around unfamiliar places.
- Feeling extra tired or stressed from having to concentrate more on things they used to do more easily.
If you feel their sensory function may be changing, talking to the person you care for about any challenges they might be experiencing is the best place to start. If they are experiencing difficulties with one or more of their senses, your GP can advise you about next steps.
If the person you care for is experiencing hearing difficulties, your GP will be able to refer them to a hearing specialist, or audiologist. There can sometimes be a wait of a few weeks to see a specialist so it can sometimes be quicker to get tested somewhere else, like a large pharmacy or an optician that offers free hearing tests.
If there is a change to their vision, going to see an optician can help discover what might be going on, and again, this can often be free. If the optometrist finds signs of an eye condition, they or your GP will make a referral to an ophthalmologist in your local hospital who can offer more specialised help and support.
Supporting someone who has a sensory impairment
Practical tasks can be challenging for someone with hearing or sight loss, and your role will be focused on enabling the person you care for to be as independent as possible whilst staying safe. More specific advice around supporting someone who has a sensory impairment to stay safe at home can be found here, and you can find our article on Supporting someone with a sensory impairment to get out and about here.
Sensory overload is a very real issue for people living with sensory impairment and means that they can become extremely tired, overwhelmed and stressed by having to process lots of information coming at them at once. As a carer, you might be involved in helping them to prevent sensory overload or manage a situation if it arises. Our article on understanding sensory overload goes into more detail about this here.
Managing the emotional challenges of developing a sensory impairment
If you are caring for someone with a sensory impairment, you may start to be aware of some of the impact it not only has on their life, but on yours too. You might be finding it more difficult to communicate with each other, which might be creating feelings of isolation, even resentment. The person you care for might be feeling they are unable to be as independent as they would like, unable to do the simple things they used to enjoy, and feeling frustrated, angry or ashamed about this. All of this can naturally cause increased stress and anxiety for both of you, and affect your emotional and mental wellbeing.
Being able to express the difficult feelings and emotions that naturally arise, and looking after your health on every level, is crucial to you both staying well. For more on this important area, our article on managing the emotional challenges of developing a sensory impairment can be found here.
The role of service animals in supporting someone with a sensory impairment
Service animals can play an incredible role in supporting the lives of people living with a sensory impairment. These highly trained companions are usually dogs, and can offer support with specific tasks, helping to boost confidence and encourage greater independence for the people they serve. You can find out more on the role of service dogs in our article.
Support for someone who has a sensory impairment
If the person you care for is dealing with a sensory impairment, the best way to begin accessing support is by speaking with your GP. They will be able to suggest next steps, and also connect you both with helpful groups run by condition-specific organisations.
If the needs of the person you care for have changed and they are finding it more difficult to live independently like they used to, they can request a free Care Needs Assessment to ensure that the right provision is being made for them. They can request this assessment themselves, or be referred by their GP or social worker.
There may also be certain benefits and support with financing adaptations to the home available. There may also be rehabilitation programmes or mobility training on offer to help them restore their confidence and learn the new skills they need to live more independently again.
Support for you as a carer
If you are caring for someone with a sensory impairment, speaking to your GP and other health professionals involved will help you feel informed about their condition and how it might be expected to change and progress. Your GP will also be able to suggest certain organisations that can offer you more insight into living with the condition and where you will be able to ask any questions you might have.
There are also reputable charities and organisations you can visit online for more information related to specific conditions.
There will also be carer organisations in your area where you can receive advice and support from others who have been through similar experiences as carers for someone with a sensory impairment. Your GP might be able to refer you to these, and you can also search online for carer support groups in your area.
Caring for someone with sensory impairment is a huge task, and recognising the impact this can have on you is very important. Being open to receive support is key to you being able to feel strong and positive in your role, and in turn offer the right support to the person you care for. If you feel you would benefit from extra support to ensure the person you are caring for is receiving the help they need, you can request a free Carer’s Needs Assessment for yourself. Our articles on looking after yourself as a carer and support available for carers looking after someone with a sensory impairment go into more detail on this important topic.